Sunday, December 10, 2017

What's (Re)New: Dub Syndicate Ambience In Dub 1982-1985

On
November 10th, On U-Sound, the creative outlet and seminal dub label run by
producer Adrian Sherwood, reissued some early releases and a compilation of
unreleased tracks from Sherwood’s own project, Dub Syndicate.Following the short-lived but seismic effect
punk rock enjoyed in 1977, the need to expand upon the music’s creative and
cultural reach bore a period of musical output that harnessed not only the
primal aspects of punk rock music, but also pulled from many genres: funk, disco,
jazz, and reggae.Sherwood, himself a
fanatical devotee of reggae music, acted as a small-time distributor of dub
singles before growing into a curator of sorts, performing in multiple groups,
producing acts, and eventually launching the On U-Sound label, through which he
was able to not only pursue his own musical endeavors but to provide a platform
for other artists.With that said, Dub
Syndicate, which would later develop into a creative partnership between Sherwood
and drummer Style Scott, released four albums from 1981 to 1985:The Pounding System, One Way System, North of
the River Thames, and Tunes from the Missing Channel.In addition to the reissues, which will be out
on vinyl and as a CD collection called, Ambience In Dub 1982 – 1985, the
aforementioned collection of unreleased tracks will be issued as an LP titled,
Displaced Masters.

As
a newcomer to Dub Syndicate, I’ve navigated my way through these LPs over the
last week or two and have attempted to distill as much of what’s unique
track-by-track as I could.Dub reggae
has a resting pulse, a signature stride.The
rhythm is an anchor, though the floating sonic explorations enabled by both the
group’s rotating lineup and advancements in studio technology grant this
chronology context as far as how Sherwood and Scott both evolved artistically.The performances sound refreshingly spontaneous,
as if ideas were juggled and conversations never ceased.Plus, Sherwood wasn’t shy about drawing
elements from what was then a burgeoning post-punk scene into his brand of dub
music.The rambunctious sections of drum
work scattered throughout “Pounding Systems,” which introduces 1982’s The
Pounding System, were enough to convince me that post-punk’s notable
inclusivity among genres, not to mention the way these genres seemed to be
informing various offshoots at a time when studio capabilities were fueling musical
possibilities, was beneficial and not in any way meant to appropriate a culture
so much as to widen musical perspectives, potentially merge worlds, and engage
artists.

The Pounding System by Dub SyndicateThe
fact that Style Scott, whose involvement with Dub Syndicate begins during the
development of 1983’s One Way System, was a long-distance collaborator with
Sherwood speaks to some level of respect and trust between artists.For this series of reissues, One Way System will
be available for the first time as a vinyl LP, having only ever been released
as a cassette via ROIR, the label that’s probably best known for releasing Bad
Brains’ self-titled debut.Speaking to the level of experimentation and genre-bending of its predecessor,
check out the staggering rhythm arrangement of “Drilling Equipment” and the saxophone-driven
jazz lean of “Independence.”One Way System by Dub Syndicate

For
1984’s North of the River Thames, Dub Syndicate shared credit with melodica
player, Doctor Pablo (Peter Stroud), whose name was chosen as homage to the man
who’d mastered his instrument, Augustus Pablo.With his melodica providing the album its primary and unifying musical
element, Doctor Pablo also contributed some of his own songs, two of which were
apparently based on original works that Congo Ashanti Roy had performed with
both The Congos and Singers & Players respectively.These tracks were sequenced with dub-centric
interpretations of The Shadows’ “Man of Mystery,” the theme from “Dr. Who,” and
a melancholic rendition of the Ric Marlow and Bobby Scott composition, “A Taste
of Honey,” which I know best as a Beatles cover.North Of The River Thames by Doctor Pablo & The Dub Syndicate

As an
early document on what was then-budding sample culture, 1985’s Tunes from the Missing
Channel is a fascinating work and the most objectively modern release of this
collection.Featuring contributions from
ex-Public Image Ltd. members Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, singer Bim Sherman, and
composer Steve Beresford, (not to mention members of On-U Sound acts African
Head Charge and Creation Rebel), Tunes from the Missing Channel was developed
in conjunction with the availability of new studio technology, enabling
Sherwood and keyboardist and On-U co-founder Kishi Yamamoto to craft and adorn
the Dub Syndicate motif with new sounds.The revving and echoing motor and beautifully rendered sitar melodies incorporated
into the album’s opening track, “Ravi Shankar (Pt. 1),” offer evidence of this
immediately with “The Show is Coming” following up with vocal loops/samples and
chunky, cutting bass riffs performed by Evar Wellington juxtaposed with the
track’s otherwise slick production.Jah
Wobble’s synthesizer-driven “Over Board” could have easily scored any horror or
sci-fi film of the era, its sound seeming to nod in the direction of John
Carpenter or Goblin.Bim Sherman provides
vocals for the only sung composition on the album “Forever More,” a playful
array of filters applied to the track’s percussion.

With Scott
assuming more of a lead role in Dub Syndicate, the group continued to release
albums well into the 2000s.Scott was
unfortunately murdered on October 9th, 2014.

While every
volume of this collection is worth investigating, Displaced Masters isn’t a bad
place for a novice to begin.Itself
comprised of early takes and unreleased cuts, Displaced Masters offers enough
of an overview to incentivize the need for further exploration.It’s a worthwhile footnote.It’s certainly not bad for the ears.